ASH Ireland re-launch its campaign to Ban Smoking in Cars Transporting Children

Date: 16 February 2010

CALL TO BAN SMOKING IN CARS TRANSPORTING CHILDREN UNDER 16 YEARS

79% Public Support for this health initiative……..

ASH Ireland today re-launched its campaign to have smoking banned in cars transporting children under 16 years of age.

Children deserve a smoke free environment and yet many must travel in cars, which are fume filled, toxic and ‘a serious danger to their health’.

Dr Angie Brown, Chairperson ASH Ireland said today, “We first launched this campaign in early 2008 – and yet we have had no positive indication from government that they plan to implement this health initiative, which is now gaining support all around the world. Passive smoke is a Group 1 cancer-causing carcinogen and as 14% of Irish children are exposed to these carcinogens and other toxic substances in cars - our legislators must protect them. As we discovered with use of seat belts and use of mobile phones in cars – the voluntary code is insufficient”.

Dr Brown went onto say, “Passive smoke can be as much as 23 times more toxic in a car than in a house because of the confined space (Ontario Medical Association 2005) The well-established research to justify the vital need to protect children from tobacco smoke in cars is well recognised and irrefutable. There is definitive research available in Ireland (R.I.F.T.F.S), USA, Canada and Australia on this issue. This research also shows that passive smoke is particularly harmful to children as they have much higher respiratory rates and metabolism than adults”.

Some key findings of national and international research and comments on the risks to children exposed to tobacco smoke in cars are listed below: -

- “Homes and cars are the principal sources of children’s second-hand smoke (SHS). We recently reported that one in seven Irish children is exposed to SHS while travelling to school by car, which has significant negative respiratory health effects”. (BMJ/Tobacco Free Research Institute, Dublin, October 2009).

- Within one minute of lighting a cigarette in a car, sensors detected airborne toxins 30 times higher than the level the Environment Protection Agency of the United States would advise people to stay indoors? (Stanford University).


- “It is well established that children raised in smoking households have increased risks of levels of asthma, ear and lung infections”, (Dr Elizabeth Secord, Asthma specialist, Michigan, USA).

- “Passive smoke is harmful to children especially in the early stages of development” (Royal College of Physicians, London 2005).

- “Second-hand tobacco smoke exposure is a substantial problem that causes increased rates of pneumonia, otitis media, asthma, and other short and long term paediatric conditions”. (American Academy of Paediatrics Centre for Child Health Research, September 2006).

- “Passive smoking impairs the child’s well-being” (American Academy of Paediatrics News, August 1987).

Dr Brown went on to say, “The high levels of public (and smoker) support for smoke-free car laws found in the studies to date suggest that this can be a relatively non- controversial tobacco control intervention. Recent research by ASH Ireland (MRBI 2007) shows 79% public support for this initiative. The Irish Government has set the trend all around the world on tobacco health legislation and has received deserved recognition both at home and abroad. This initiative to protect children’s health, while travelling in motor vehicles would be widely welcomed – who could argue with it? We now ask the Government to proceed and legislate for this health initiative”.
Ends

For contact:
Young Communications, 087-2471520/01-6680530
ASH Ireland, 01-2310521

The Irish Cancer Society and the Irish Heart Foundation fund ASH Ireland